Biogeography of Mesozoic leptosporangiate ferns related to extant ferns

Abstract

The paleobiogeography of the extant leptosporangiate fern families present in the Mesozoic is reviewed based mainly on data from megafossils that possess enough characters to be assigned to a family. Times of first appearances are discussed for each family, followed by their distribution throughout the Mesozoic. Paleolatitudes and climatic conditions indicate that first appearances of many fern families occur about or above 30° and in conditions of higher moisture. Much of fern distribution in the past was likely due to long-distance dispersal.